Monday, December 19, 2011

Hi, Friends, how are you?Aren't we busy?Christmas and the end of the year is coming near. I'd like to dedicate this work for Friends in winter right now. Yes, spring is certainly coming up. Any time, hope stays with us. It's all up to us; how we see the world. Pre-Admission Consultation on the hand surgery went well. My childhood bad memory about hospital makes me a bit nervous. A kind nurse gave me this quote,

Lovely! Spot on. Being stuck is wasting time. Long time ago, I decided to be "carefree" in a healthy way. Wash off negative memories. My stress buster is long swimming that dusts off the heart and the soul.However, I check my resolutions for 2011. 1) Upload the blog every Monday like before.I did it, even though now I do not do it because of the hand.2) Explore watercolor.I did. Regarding how to handle a background, I've begun to find solutions. Be brave. 3) Challenge landscape.I did and joined a sketch club (Urban Sketchers Australia).4) More illustrations, focus on story telling. Illustrate a classic story.I did it and have the ongoing projectʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ.5) Lots of cartoons. Stress busters.I did. (*Regarding this cartoon, I always talk to any cleaner with special thanks. All cleaners have got surprised at me, "You said to me?!" Of course. Friends, just a few seconds for thank U make a big difference.) 6) Life drawing. Watercolor "directly" on paper.Not joined life drawing class, but always carefully observed bodies on streets.Direct painting --eg) the first uploaded work --- is fascinating. Want to explore more. Need more time and experiences. 7) Still Life, especially, "Flowers."I did some. 8) Develop/pin down my ideas/quick drawings.I did. Some are left on the drawing board.9) Just DO it, Sadami!!YES, I did it!

In 2011, Got several Art Awards and the picture book project. An extraordinarily good year.I'm not going to drag bad memories, as I mentioned above. The past is past. Face reality, check it and move on---that's enough and nice. After refreshing, I hope myself to keep only nice memories.I saw the Santa Clause working for fundraising. Children were enjoying candies. Heart-warming to see happy kids and the Santa.Wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!I sincerely hope your 2011 memories are cheerful. Let us step into 2012 with a light heart!Lots of love and Biiiig smileʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ, Sadami

Friday, December 9, 2011

Friends, thank you for kind concerns and warm cheers. I'll have a hand surgery for a carpel tunnel at the end of Jan. An easy one. It will take 30 minutes. I may use the right hand right after the surgery. In 2-3 months, full recovery. Sure, I'll get well!How is your Christmas time? I enjoy sketching people.A first sketch. These children were playing with fingers (numbers) while waiting for parents shopping. I love watching such ANALOGUE games. Today, computer games are taking over our old fashioned playing. My serious concern is children's games will die out from the earth. I'm seriously thinking that with watercolour paintings, I might as well archive children's games before extinguishing from the world.Oh, yes, I met a caricaturist recording 100 yrs old Australians at a KuRingGai Art Society Christmas party. Our guest speaker, Mick Joffe makes interesting caricatures. Humorously, he's written down interviews on sketches, called, "Endangered Australians." NSW University awarded him Honorary Masters degree. Weldone!A third sketch is the presenter at the workshop, "How to Handle Difficult People" at a public library. He emphasized, "Hand!! Use body language!" Indeed, the played up body language was an interesting subject for drawing. In my experience, eye-contact and a body language makes lively portraits. Good portraits pick up just the essence of a character, "enough and needed." Otherwise, work becomes dull and does not look like a person.Brush strokes are the lesser, the better.A fourth sketch is a shop girl. It's fun to sketch cheerful girls and loud boys at Christmas sales. I often join them, calling, "Role up, role up! Here comes the wonderful such-and-such! You can't miss this...!" Customers and shop girls have a laugh. I always tell them,"Oh, darling, don't work hard. Work smart! Only once you're young. Enjoy your young days!" All of them say, "Off course!" and they welcome my next visit. Ahahahaha!Once, I wrote in the post that a sketcher is "the guardian of time." We capture the moment and archive it.I feel, I love peopleʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ . Figurative work is my most favorite! And the picture book project is ongoing. I'll do my best!

So far, I do not leave comments at other's blogs, but always enjoy visiting your blogs.Happy painting and enjoy your Christmas season, Friends!!!

About Me

Award winning fine artist, enthusiastic children's picture book illustrator, portraitist and event/conference sketcher, Sydney based. Greatest strength: "Empathic portraits". Spontaneous and beautiful. Outstanding speed and accuracy. In only a few minutes, my quick portraits capture models in any posture with any facial expression on spot. Figures appear lively and emotionally. My linguistic training enables me to analyse the text in detail and organise appropriate story boards for the target audience. Sociological methods and research skills are used to capture insights from a text. The work bridges between a text, reality and imagination. Style is broad from whimsical cartoons to fine art for multifarious subjects. Japanese naitve speaker. Enjoy my works in StyleFile